1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the general art of containers, and to the particular field of trash containers.
2. Background of the Invention
Conventionally, trash or other refuse material is collected and bagged in a flexible plastic liner placed within a rigid, upstanding receptacle. Typically, in residential and commercial trash collection, however, it has been observed that the plastic liner due to its flexible nature tends to cling to the inside wall of the trash receptacle, and as the trash liner is progressively filled with refuse material, the liner further clings to the trash receptacle wall and ultimately substantially fills the space defined by the receptacle wall. During this process, any air present between the liner and the receptacle wall slowly leaks out, and when the trash-filled liner occupies the interior space of the receptacle, a vacuum is created between the trash liner and the receptacle wall and the receptacle base portion lying beneath the liner. Accordingly, when a user lifts the trash liner, the suction pressure due to the vacuum counteracts removal of the trash liner. In this manner, trash can liners can become stuck within a trash can by the vacuum seal created when the trash can liner contacts the sidewalls of the trash can. When this happens it can be difficult, particularly for weak and infirm individuals, to physically pull the trash can liner out of the trash can. In some cases, pulling a bag against such a vacuum may even tear the bag.
An additional problem occurs when filling a flexible, collapsible trash liner which is mounted within a trash receptacle in that the air trapped between the flexible, collapsible trash liner and the interior walls of the trash receptacle prevents the flexible, collapsible trash liner from assuming a ready full configuration. This entrapped air prevents the bag liner from assuming its fullest possible configuration within the receptacle and, thereby, limits the amount of trash that can be held without manual adjustment.
While the art contains many examples of trash containers that have vents, vents are of limited expediency. Vents can become clogged and thus lose their effectiveness. Still further, a vent must be built large enough to accommodate all contingencies, thereby making it over-large for some applications.